Laser machining system for machining a workpiece by means of a laser beam and method for controlling a laser machining system

ABSTRACT

A laser machining system, or laser welding system, for machining a workpiece includes: a laser machining head for directing a laser beam onto a workpiece to produce a vapor capillary; an optical measuring device using an optical measuring beam; an image acquisition unit to capture an image of a region of the workpiece surface containing the vapor capillary and a measuring spot produced by irradiation with the measuring beam. The system determines positions of the measuring spot and vapor capillary based on the image. A method includes: directing the laser beam onto a workpiece surface to produce a vapor capillary; directing an optical measuring beam onto the surface to measure a depth of the vapor capillary; capturing an image of a region containing the vapor capillary and a measuring spot from the optical measuring beam; and determining, based on the captured image, position of the measuring spot and vapor capillary.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from German Application No. 10 2019 103734.4 filed Feb. 14, 2019, the entire content of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a laser machining system for machininga workpiece by means of a laser beam, in particular a laser weldingsystem, and a method for controlling a laser machining system. Thepresent invention preferably relates to a laser machining system with anoptical coherence tomograph for interferometric distance measurement,and to a method for controlling the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a machining system for machining a workpiece by means of a laserbeam, the laser beam exiting from a laser light source or an end of anoptical fiber is focused or collimated onto the workpiece to be machinedwith the aid of a beam guiding and focusing optics. The machining maycomprise, for example, laser cutting, laser soldering or laser welding,in particular laser deep welding. The laser machining system maycomprise, for example, a laser machining head, in particular a weldinghead.

When the laser beam is projected onto the workpiece to be machined, thematerial of the workpiece, for example metal, is heated so intensely bythe laser power in an irradiation region that it changes into a vaporousstate or a plasma state. This region is referred to as the so-called“vapor capillary” or “keyhole”.

It is desirable to determine or measure the depth of the vapor capillaryresulting from laser welding as precisely as possible. The depth of thevapor capillary is dependent, for example, on a welding depth, i.e., thedepth to which the metal was melted during a welding process. The depthof the vapor capillary is typically measured at the deepest point of thevapor capillary. This position is also referred to as “keyhole bottom”or “machining bottom”. In the present disclosure, “depth of the vaporcapillary” or “keyhole depth” denotes the maximum depth of the vaporcapillary.

The depth of the vapor capillary is of great interest: on the one hand,knowledge of the depth of the vapor capillary allows conclusions aboutthe strength of a welded joint to be drawn, i.e., whether the weld wassufficiently deep; on the other hand, knowledge of the depth of thevapor capillary can ensure that the weld seam on the underside is notvisible, i.e., that there is no undesired root penetration.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a workpiece 10 to bemachined during a laser machining process, in particular a weldingprocess, which is carried out by a laser machining system. During thelaser machining process, a laser beam 148 is projected onto a surface 16of a workpiece 10 by means of a laser machining head (not shown) of thelaser machining system, the laser beam being moved over the surface 16along a so-called machining direction 80.

During this, a vapor capillary 12 is formed in a region between thesurface 16 of the workpiece 10, onto which the laser beam 148 isprojected, down to a certain depth within the workpiece 10. In theregion of the vapor capillary, the material of the workpiece 10 isheated so intensely by the radiated laser power that it evaporates. Inother words, the material in the region of the vapor capillary 12 is ina vaporous state. The vapor capillary 12 is surrounded by a region 14 inwhich the material is in a molten state, i.e., in a liquid state. Region14 is also referred to as a “melt pool”.

The depth of the vapor capillary is typically measured contactlesslyusing spectral interferometric distance measurement or optical distancemeasurement by means of optical coherence tomography (“OCT”). For thispurpose, as shown in FIG. 1, an optical measuring beam 126 of an opticalcoherence tomograph (not shown) for measuring the depth of the vaporcapillary 12 is projected onto the workpiece 10. At the point ofincidence of the measuring beam on the workpiece 10, the so-calledmeasuring spot, the measuring beam is reflected back by the workpiece 10in the optical coherence tomograph. The measuring beam 126 may extendsubstantially in parallel or coaxially to the laser beam 148.

In order to be able to measure the depth of the vapor capillarycorrectly, the optical measuring beam has to be aligned in such a waythat the light from the measuring beam reaches the lower end of thevapor capillary and the light reflected therefrom returns to the opticalcoherence tomograph.

However, it should be understood that the geometric properties of thevapor capillary, e.g., shape, size, etc., and their position on theworkpiece surface depend on the parameters of the laser machiningprocess. In addition to the feed speed, parameters such as the machiningdirection, the focus size of the laser beam, the material of theworkpiece, and the welding geometry, i.e., the shape or the course ofthe weld, also play a crucial role.

For example, a variation in the feed speed of the laser beam has thefollowing effects on properties of the vapor capillary: increase ordecrease in the angle of inclination of the front wall of the vaporcapillary; shift in the position of the deepest point of the vaporcapillary (so-called “keyhole bottom”) or of a lower opening of thevapor capillary when welding through into the wake; increase or decreasein the opening of the vapor capillary in the machining direction; orshift in the position of the opening of the vapor capillary relative tothe lateral focus position of the laser beam, because a point on theworkpiece surface takes a certain amount of time to reach a sufficienttemperature to form a vapor capillary.

Since the geometric properties of the vapor capillary, in particular theposition and size thereof, depend on the parameters of the lasermachining process performed, as described above, the optical measuringbeam must be adjustable to the respective laser machining process ormust be controllable during the respective laser machining process. Inparticular, a point of incidence of the measuring beam (also referred toas “position of the measuring beam”) on the workpiece or the focusposition of the measuring beam must be adjustable or controllable. Inparticular, the position of the measuring beam on the material surfaceor the point of incidence of the measuring beam on the workpiece surfacemust be adjustable or controllable relative to the position of the vaporcapillary on the workpiece surface, so that it is ensured that themeasuring beam always hits the workpiece at the correct location for thewelding depth measurement. The position on the workpiece surface mayalso be referred to as the “lateral position”.

In the case of linear welding seams, i.e., straight-lined welding seams,a suitable position of the measuring spot relative to the position ofthe vapor capillary may be determined or set in advance for therespectively set process parameters and may then remain unchanged duringthe execution of the welding process. Therefore, in the case of linearwelding seams, there may be a static position for the respectiveparameters.

In order to measure the deepest point of the vapor capillary, theoptimal position of the optical measuring beam for the welding depthmeasurement must be determined for each set of parameters of the weldingprocess before the welding process is carried out. That is, the setting,such as the orientation, focus position and/or position of the opticalmeasuring beam relative to the laser beam or to the laser machininghead, must be determined in advance. However, a change in the positionof the measuring beam, e.g. due to drift of deflection units or otherinaccuracies in the laser machining system, is not excluded and leads toa deviation from the ideal measuring position during the weldingprocess. When using galvoscanners as a deflection unit for the measuringbeam, it is difficult to prevent drift. Particularly in mass production,it must be ensured that the position of the measuring beam relative tothe position of the vapor capillary remains unchanged for weeks, monthsor years. Furthermore, test welds on workpieces are required for thedescribed presetting of the position of the measuring beam in order toensure, for the respective set of parameters, that the deepest positionof the vapor capillary is measured using the preset position of themeasuring beam.

In the case of curved weld seams or weld tracks (e.g., a 90° curve,spiral, C-shaped geometries, etc.), it is necessary to adjust theposition of the measuring spot during the welding process. At any giventime during the welding process, the optimal position for the weld depthmeasurement of the measuring spot must be known and the position must bearrived at precisely during the laser machining process in order not toreceive incorrect depth information about the vapor capillary. In thecase of a curved weld seam, the method for determining the deepest pointof the vapor capillary is therefore significantly more complex, sinceeach segment of the curved weld seam has a different optimal position ofthe measuring spot to be determined or set in advance for each segment.For a correct weld depth measurement, the segments must therefore eitherbe chosen to be very small, or interpolation must be carried out betweenthe segments.

Typically, an optical coherence tomograph has a single measuring beam.Accordingly, a distance measurement can only be carried out at a singlepoint on the workpiece surface at any given time. This means thatmeasurements can either be taken at the deepest point of the vaporcapillary or in the vicinity thereof (e.g., a side wall of the vaporcapillary, the workpiece surface, or the seam upper bead). If themeasuring beam is kept unchanged at a predetermined position, it cannotbe determined from the obtained distance information whether theposition of the measuring beam is the deepest point of the vaporcapillary or whether the measuring beam hits a side wall of the vaporcapillary.

If there are no other devices to obtain information about the vaporcapillary in addition to the optical coherence tomograph, it isnecessary to move the position of the measuring beam over the workpiecesurface and thus to create a height profile (also called “depthprofile”) or a topography based on the position of the measuring spotknown from the orientation of the optical measuring beam and thedetermined distance information. This is also referred to as “topographymeasurement”. Therefrom, the position at which the deepest point of thevapor capillary is located can be determined or estimated. FIG. 2 showsan example of a measured depth profile of a vapor capillary along or inparallel to the machining direction (FIG. 2A) and transversely to themachining direction of the laser beam (FIG. 2B). The vapor capillary canbe recognized as a peak.

Accordingly, the optical measuring beam is temporarily not at thedeepest point of the vapor capillary while a height profile is beingcreated or a topography is being measured. As a result, reliableinformation about the welding depth cannot be collected during thistime. By using high scanning rates of the optical coherence tomograph(kHz or MHz range) and fast beam deflection units (e.g.,galvanoscanners), this time can be kept short, but not reduced to zero.In particular, if the welding depth is to be controlled to be apredetermined value, it is advantageous or absolutely necessary toobtain information about the deepest point of the vapor capillary intime intervals which are constant or as short as possible. The opticalcoherence tomograph should therefore preferably measure the deepestpoint of the vapor capillary as continuously or as uninterruptedly aspossible. This means that the position of the deepest point of the vaporcapillary must be known for an uninterrupted weld depth measurement.

An alternative to the described creation of a height profile of theworkpiece surface using the optical coherence tomograph is establishinga mathematical model which can be used to calculate the optimal positionof the measuring beam as a function of the given process parameters.Such a model is very complex due to the large number of differentwelding parameters. In addition, such a procedure requires a lot ofeffort to establish and evaluate the model based on experiments.Furthermore, this approach does not solve the problem that, e.g. in theevent of a drift of the deflection unit or inaccuracies, an incorrectposition of the measuring beam is not recognized.

Another alternative is the use of a second optical coherence tomograph.The first optical coherence tomograph continuously scans the workpiecesurface in order to create a height profile or a topography thereof. Thesecond optical coherence tomograph permanently measures the depth of thevapor capillary. However, the two tomographs must be calibrated withrespect to each other and must not move relative to one another duringoperation, e.g. due to drift. Otherwise the correlation between theposition of incidence of the first tomograph and the measured depth ofthe second tomograph is no longer valid. However, this alternative isuneconomical due to high costs. As an alternative thereto, the measuringbeam of an optical coherence tomograph could be split into two partialbeams, the partial beams being adjustable independently of one another.However, the available measuring range of the optical coherencetomograph must then be divided into two ranges since two sets ofdistance information are available at the same time. This reduces themeasuring range available for the welding depth measurement.Furthermore, with these alternatives there is also the problem that, inthe event of a drift, the position of the measuring beam measuring thedepth of the vapor capillary is no longer exactly known.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lasermachining system and a method for controlling a laser machining systemallowing a welding depth or depth of a vapor capillary and informationabout a position of an optical measuring beam used to measure the depthof a vapor capillary to be determined, preferably in real time orcontinuously.

This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims.Advantageous embodiments and developments are the subject matter ofdependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea of using an image acquisition unit tocapture both a vapor capillary produced by a laser of the lasermachining system in a workpiece and the point of incidence of an opticalmeasuring beam of an optical measuring device of the laser machiningsystem. For example, the image acquisition unit may capture lightprojected or reflected by the vapor capillary and light of the opticalmeasuring beam appearing as a measuring spot at the point of incidenceon the workpiece and, based thereon, generate an image containing thevapor capillary and the point of incidence of the measuring beam.

Thereby, the position of the optical measuring beam and the position ofthe vapor capillary may be determined and adjusted for an accurate andcontinuous measurement of the depth of the vapor capillary, e.g. byinterferometric distance measurement, during a machining process,preferably in real time. The position of the measuring spot may then beadjusted based on an ideal position relative to the position of thevapor capillary for measuring the maximum depth of the vapor capillary.An interruption of the measurement of the welding depth or the depth ofthe vapor capillary by the optical measuring device or of the control ofthe measuring position is therefore not necessary. The point ofincidence of the optical measuring beam on the workpiece and itsalignment with a suitable position for measuring the depth of the vaporcapillary may thus be carried out reliably, inexpensively and simply.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a laser machiningsystem, preferably a laser welding system or a system for laser deepwelding, comprises: a laser machining head for irradiating a laser beamonto a workpiece, in particular onto a workpiece surface, for generatinga vapor capillary; an optical measuring device for measuring thedistance, in particular for measuring a depth of the vapor capillary, bymeans of an optical measuring beam; an image acquisition unit configuredto acquire an image of a region of the workpiece or the workpiecesurface containing the vapor capillary and a measuring spot generated byradiating the optical measuring beam, wherein the laser machining systemor the image acquisition unit is configured to determine a position ofthe measuring spot and a position of the vapor capillary based on thecaptured image. The measuring spot is the location on the workpiece atwhich the optical measuring beam is incident and may also be referred toas the point of incidence or the region of incidence of the opticalmeasuring beam.

According to a broad aspect of the present disclosure, a method forcontrolling a laser machining system comprises the following steps:projecting the laser beam onto a workpiece surface to produce a vaporcapillary; projecting an optical measuring beam onto the workpiecesurface to measure a depth of the vapor capillary; capturing an image ofa region of the workpiece surface containing the vapor capillary and ameasuring spot produced by projecting the optical measuring beam; anddetermining, based on the captured image, a position of the measuringspot and a position of the vapor capillary. The method may, inparticular, be configured to control a laser machining system accordingto embodiments of this disclosure. A laser machining system according toembodiments of this disclosure may, in particular, be configured tocarry out a method according to the disclosure.

Preferred aspects of the present disclosure that can be combined withone another are listed below.

The image acquisition unit may be attached to the laser machining heador may be integrated therein. The image acquisition unit may be a cameraor digital camera configured to take photos of the workpiece, inparticular of the region of the workpiece containing the vapor capillaryand the point of incidence of the optical measuring beam. The digitalcamera may also record or generate a video or a video stream.

The image acquisition unit is preferably arranged coaxially on the lasermachining head. This avoids parallax errors in the image evaluation.This also allows for a compact and space-saving design of the lasermachining system. Optical axes or beam paths of the image acquisitionunit and of the measuring beam preferably extend at least partially inparallel and/or coaxially, preferably at least partially in paralleland/or coaxially in the laser machining head. The image acquisition unitor a camera of the image acquisition unit may be arranged coaxially witha beam path of the laser beam and/or the measuring beam.

In an embodiment, the image acquisition unit is configured to capturethermal radiation, in particular radiation between 950 nm and 1700 nm.Thermal radiation is emitted by the surface of the workpiece heated bythe laser beam and in particular by the vapor capillary. Accordingly,the image acquisition unit may comprise an infrared camera. As analternative or in addition, the image acquisition unit may be configuredto detect light of the visible spectral range, preferably light between300 nm and 1100 nm, in particular light between 400 nm and 800 nm.

The image acquisition unit may have a spectral sensitivity in thewavelength range of thermal radiation generated by the vapor capillaryor the melt pool and/or in the wavelength range of the optical measuringbeam. The image acquisition unit is preferably particularly sensitive ina wavelength range of the measuring beam. This results in a highercontrast in the captured image between the measuring spot and theworkpiece surface. As a result, the measuring spot can be illustrated onthe captured image and then be evaluated particularly easily. Inparticular, the position of the measuring spot may be determinedparticularly reliably thereby.

By means of an appropriate evaluation of the image or video, e.g., byappropriate image processing, the position of the vapor capillary on theworkpiece and the geometry of the vapor capillary and/or the melt poolcan be recognized or identified. For example, a contour of the melt poolmay be recognized. Furthermore, melted regions and/or solidified regionsof the workpiece may be recognized or differentiated. This recognitionmay be performed using texture analysis. On the other hand, themeasuring spot may be determined. In particular, the geometric center ofthe measuring spot and/or the geometric center of the vapor capillarymay be determined. This can be achieved by means of suitable imageprocessing methods, for example texture analysis, evaluation of theshape of the melt pool, etc. The position of the measuring spot relativeto the position of the vapor capillary, preferably relative to thedeepest point of the vapor capillary, can thus be determined. Theevaluation may be carried out by the image acquisition unit itself or byan arithmetic unit of the laser machining system. The evaluation of thecaptured image or images may be carried out essentially in real time.

As a result, the laser machining system may be configured to control themeasuring beam such that it is always oriented or positioned correctlyfor measuring the welding depth, i.e., at the optimal position on theworkpiece. In particular, the position of the measuring beam may becontrolled relative to the position of the vapor capillary and/or theposition of the laser beam. Furthermore, the focus position and/ororientation of the optical measuring beam may be controlled. Themeasuring beam may be controlled in real time. Furthermore, the imageevaluation may be used to check whether the measuring beam is correctlypositioned or oriented.

By providing the image acquisition unit and evaluating the images of theworkpiece surface captured by the image acquisition unit, the positionof the measuring spot may be determined and/or adjusted continuously,i.e., without interruption. In other words, the position of themeasuring spot can always be determined reliably and in real time. Inaddition, no additional optical measuring device is required, so thatcosts are avoided.

The optical measuring device may be configured to direct the opticalmeasuring beam into the vapor capillary. This allows for a maximum depthof the vapor capillary to be determined. In particular, a position ofthe vapor capillary with maximum depth may be determined or estimated onthe basis of the image. As a rule, the deepest point of the vaporcapillary in the machining direction is at the rear edge of the vaporcapillary. In this case, if the measuring beam is controlled such thatit is directed to this position, a maximum depth of the vapor capillarycan be determined.

Furthermore, the laser machining system or the optical measuring devicemay have an adjusting device configured to adjust or orient the opticalmeasuring beam. The adjusting device may, for example, comprise a beamdeflection unit, for example a mirror or galvanoscanner, and may becontrolled by a computing unit of the laser machining system or theoptical measuring device.

The image acquisition unit preferably has a notch filter configured tofilter or block a wavelength range of the laser beam. This ensures thatthe image acquisition unit does not drive into saturation due to thehigh light output of the laser beam compared to the light output of theoptical measuring beam and the vapor capillary. In addition, lightemitted or reflected by the vapor capillary and light of the measuringbeam reflected by the workpiece may be reliably detected by the imageacquisition unit without being superimposed by the light of the laserbeam.

The measuring device preferably comprises an optical coherencetomograph. The image acquisition unit preferably comprises a camera, forexample a CCD camera and/or a CMOS camera and/or an infrared camera.

According to an embodiment, a lighting unit is provided on the lasermachining head for illuminating the detected area of the workpiecesurface, e.g. by means of visible light and/or infrared light. As aresult, the evaluation of the image of the workpiece region captured bythe image acquisition unit can be improved or simplified, since, forexample, the vapor capillary stands out more strongly from thebackground and is therefore more visible. In addition, the wavelengthrange of light reflected by the vapor capillary may be adjusted to thewavelength range of light in which the image acquisition unit issensitive (so-called “spectral sensitivity”).

The lighting unit may be configured to couple light into the beam pathof the laser beam and/or the optical measuring beam and/or the imageacquisition unit. As a result, the light from the lighting unit may bedirected onto the workpiece on the same way or in the same manner as thelaser beam or the optical measuring beam. In other words, the light ofthe lighting unit extends within the machining head of the lasermachining system at least in segments. Accordingly, an adaptation of thelaser machining head or an end section of the laser machining head tothe lighting unit may be avoided.

The laser machining system or the optical measuring device may include avisualization unit configured generate a visualization beam forvisualizing the point of incidence of the optical measuring beam and tocouple said beam into the beam path of the measuring beam. Avisualization spot generated by the projection of the visualization beamis preferably concentric with the measuring spot. A wavelength of thevisualization beam may be adapted to the spectral sensitivity of theimage acquisition unit. In addition, the power of the visualization beammay be selected or set purposefully and independently of the power ofthe optical measuring beam. As a result, in particular, a visualizationbeam with a significantly higher power than that of the opticalmeasuring beam may be chosen. In addition, the wavelength of thevisualization beam may be selected or set such that reflected light fromthe visualization beam passes the notch filter of the image acquisitionunit as unimpaired as possible. In other words, the wavelength of thevisualization beam may be chosen such that the notch filter isessentially transparent to the visualization beam. Since the measuringspot and the visualization spot are concentric, the position of themeasuring spot can be determined based on the position of thevisualization spot in the captured image. The visualization beampreferably has a wavelength different from the wavelength of the laserbeam.

The visualization beam may be coupled into an optical fiber of theoptical measuring device, in which the optical measuring beam is guided,by means of a fiber coupler. In other words, the visualization beam iscoupled, at least in segments, into an optical fiber of the opticalmeasuring device, i.e., already at a point before the measuring beam isintroduced into the laser machining head. Since the visualization beamis already coupled into the optical fiber of the optical measuringdevice, the visualization beam is projected onto the same position onthe workpiece as the measuring beam. Therefore, a lateral offset betweenthe position of the visualization spot and the measuring spot due toadjustment errors, drift of deflection units, or other inaccuracies inthe machining head of the laser machining system may be avoided.

Preferably, a wavelength of the visualization beam is smaller than awavelength of the measuring beam. Losses in the light power of thevisualization beam when coupling it into the optical fiber of theoptical measuring device may thereby be avoided. A monomode fiber forthe wavelength of the measuring beam may therefore be used.

According to an embodiment, the laser machining system further comprisesa computing unit. The computing unit can comprise or may be a controlunit of the laser machining system for controlling the same. Thecomputing unit may be configured to perform one or more functions of theimage acquisition unit and/or the optical measuring device. Inparticular, the computing unit may be configured to evaluate the imagecaptured by the image acquisition unit as described above or todetermine a position of the measuring spot and/or a position of thevapor capillary based on the image captured by the image acquisitionunit. Furthermore, the computing unit may be configured to adjust orcontrol a position of the optical measuring beam or a position of themeasuring spot relative to the vapor capillary. The computing unit maybe configured to perform a method according to the disclosure.

Preferably, the position of the measuring spot relative to the positionof the vapor capillary is controlled in real time and a maximum depth ofthe vapor capillary is continuously determined.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown in the figures and aredescribed in more detail below. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a workpiece;

FIGS. 2A and 2B show exemplary measurements of a depth profile of aworkpiece;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a laser machining system according to afirst embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of an image captured by an imageacquisition unit of a laser machining system according to embodiments;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show schematic views of a laser machining systemaccording to further embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a laser machining system according to asecond embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating a method for machining aworkpiece by means of a laser beam according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, same reference signs refer to thesame or corresponding elements.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a laser machining system 100 according toa first embodiment of the present invention. The laser machining system100 comprises a machining head 122, for example a laser welding head ora laser cutting head.

The laser machining system 100 further comprises a laser device (notshown) for providing a laser beam 148 (also referred to as a “machiningbeam” or “machining laser beam”) and an optical measuring device 128configured for interferometric distance measurement by means of anoptical measuring beam 126. For example, a distance between a workpiece10 to be machined and an end portion of the machining head 122, such asa nozzle or a cross jet, is measured. The end portion, such as thenozzle or cross jet, has an opening through which the laser beam 148exits from the machining head 122, optionally along with a process gas.

The laser machining system 100 or parts thereof, for example themachining head 122, may be movable along at least one machiningdirection 80. The machining direction 80 may be a cutting or weldingdirection and/or a moving direction of the laser machining system 100,such as the machining head 122, with respect to the workpiece 10. Inparticular, the machining direction 80 may be a horizontal direction.The machining direction 80 may also be a lateral direction with respectto a surface of the workpiece 10 to be machined. The machining direction80 may also be referred to as the “feed direction”.

The laser machining system 100 may have a collimator optics 130 forcollimating the laser beam 148. Within the machining head 122, the laserbeam 148 may be deflected or reflected by approximately 90° in thedirection of the workpiece 10 by means of suitable optics (not shown).The optics, for example a semitransparent mirror, may be configured totransmit light, for example light reflected from the workpiece 10, suchas light from the measuring beam 126 or from a lighting unit orvisualization unit described later, to the measuring device 128. Thecollimator optics 130 may be integrated into the machining head 122. Forexample, the machining head 122 may comprise a collimator module 132integrated into the machining head 122 or mounted on the machining head122.

The optical measuring device 128 may comprise a coherence tomograph ormay be a coherence tomograph. The coherence tomograph may comprise anevaluation unit 134 with a broadband light source (e.g., asuperluminescent diode, short “SLD”) which couples the measurement lightinto an optical waveguide 136. In a beam splitter, which preferably hasa fiber coupler 138, the measurement light is typically split into areference arm 140 and a measuring arm leading into the machining head122 via an optical waveguide 142. The optical measuring device 128 mayfurther comprise a collimator optics 144 configured to collimate anoptical measuring beam 126. The collimator optics 144 may be integratedinto the machining head 122. For example, the machining head 122 maycomprise a collimator module 150 integrated into the machining head 122or mounted on the machining head 122.

Furthermore, a focusing optics 124 configured to focus the laser beam148 and/or the optical measuring beam 126 on the workpiece 10 isprovided in the machining head 122. The focusing optics 124 may be acommon focusing optics, such as a focus lens, for the laser beam 148 andthe measuring beam 126.

In some embodiments, the laser beam 148 and the optical measuring beam126 may extend in parallel or even coaxially at least in segments, andin particular may be coaxially superimposed at least in segments. Forexample, the optical measuring device 128 may be configured to couplethe optical measuring beam 126 into a beam path of the laser device 100.The optical measuring beam 126 and the laser beam 148 may be combineddownstream of the collimator optics 144 and upstream of the focusingoptics 124. Alternatively, the beam paths of the measuring beam 126 andthe laser beam 148 may be guided largely separately and may only bemerged downstream of the focusing optics 124 and upstream of the openingof the laser machining head 122. The beam axes of the laser beam 148 andthe measuring beam 126 may extend in parallel to one another or evencoaxially near the opening or the end portion of the laser machininghead 122, and are preferably essentially perpendicular to the surface ofthe workpiece 10. In this case, a separate focus lens may be providedfor each of the measuring beam 126 and the laser beam 148, so that bothbeams can be focused on the workpiece.

The principle of distance measurement described herein is based on theprinciple of optical coherence tomography using the coherence propertiesof light by means of an interferometer. For distance measurement, theoptical measuring beam 126 is directed onto a surface of the workpiece10. The light of the measuring beam reflected back from the surface ismapped onto the exit/entry surface of the optical waveguide 142,superimposed with the reflected light from the reference arm 140 in thefiber coupler 138 and then directed back into the evaluation unit 134.The superimposed light contains information about the path lengthdifference between the reference arm 140 and the measuring arm. Thisinformation is evaluated in the evaluation unit 134, thereby giving theuser, for example, information about the distance between the surface ofthe workpiece and the machining head 122 or about a depth of a vaporcapillary.

In order to determine the depth of the vapor capillary, the opticalmeasuring beam 126 is directed into the vapor capillary and reflectedback to the measuring device 128 in the vapor capillary. Additionally, adistance to the workpiece surface 16 or a position of the workpiecesurface may be known. Thus, the measuring device 128 or the evaluationunit 134 may define a depth of the vapor capillary, i.e., determine thedistance of a reflective bottom of the vapor capillary to the surface 16of the workpiece 10 based on the reflected measuring light. For an exactdetermination of the depth of the vapor capillary, however, themeasuring beam 126 must be directed to the deepest point of the vaporcapillary.

The laser machining device 100 further comprises an image acquisitionunit 152, for example a camera. As shown in FIG. 3, the imageacquisition unit 152 may be arranged coaxially on the laser machininghead 122 or may be integrated coaxially in the laser machining head 122.A beam path 156 of the image acquisition unit 152 extends at least insections through the machining head 122, so that the image acquisitionunit 152 can capture an image of the machining region of the workpiece10, in particular a region of the workpiece 10 containing the vaporcapillary 12 and the measuring spot. In some embodiments, an opticalaxis of the image acquisition unit 152 and the optical measuring beam126 may run in parallel at least in segments or may, in particular, becoaxially superimposed at least in segments. In other words, the imageacquisition unit 152 may comprise a coaxial camera.

The image acquisition unit 152 is configured to detect light orelectromagnetic radiation reflected from the workpiece 10 to be machinedor light or electromagnetic radiation emitted from the workpiece 10 tobe machined and to capture or generate, based thereon, an image of theworkpiece 10, in particular an image of a region of the surface theworkpiece 10. The emitted light or emitted electromagnetic radiationincludes, for example, thermal radiation emitted by the vapor capillaryor melt pool generated due to the elevated temperature of the materialof the workpiece 10. The reflected light or reflected electromagneticradiation includes, for example, light of the measuring beam 126reflected by the surface of the workpiece 10 or the bottom of the vaporcapillary.

In particular, the image acquisition unit 152 is configured to capturean image of a region of the surface of the workpiece 10 to be machined,said region containing the vapor capillary and the point of incidence ormeasuring spot of the measuring beam 126. The region may further containthe melt pool. The image acquisition unit 152 may be configured tocapture an image of the region at regular time intervals orcontinuously. The image acquisition unit 152 may capture a video or avideo stream of the region. By capturing the vapor capillary, an idealpoint of the vapor capillary for measuring the depth of the vaporcapillary that corresponds approximately to the deepest point of thevapor capillary can be determined based on the image. Since themeasuring beam 126 is also captured in the image, said beam can bedirected at the deepest point of the vapor capillary for the depthmeasurement or it can be checked whether the measuring beam 126 isdirected at the deepest point.

The image acquisition unit 152 or the camera may be configured tocapture thermal radiation, i.e., infrared light, and/or light of thevisible spectral range. Silicon-based camera chips (e.g., CCD, CMOS)sensitive in a wavelength range of approx. 300 nm to 1100 nm, orInGaAs-based camera chips sensitive in the wavelength range of approx.950 nm to 1700 nm may be used for capturing the vapor capillary. Awavelength range of the laser emission is preferably blocked, sinceotherwise there is a risk of the camera image being driven to saturationby the laser radiation, which usually has a few kilowatts.

In order for the point of incidence of the optical measuring beam 126 tobe detectable, the image acquisition unit 152 or the camera is sensitivein the wavelength range of the light of the measuring beam 126. Typicalwavelengths or wavelength ranges for an optical coherence tomographbased on the so-called Fourier Domain OCT are 800 nm to 900 nm, 1000 nmto 1100 nm, 1310 nm or 1550 nm. Other emission wavelengths are possible.

The image acquisition unit 152 may also include a so-called notch filter154. The notch filter 154 is configured to block the machining laser, inparticular reflected light from the laser beam 148, in order to avoiddriving the captured image into saturation. In addition, it can beensured by means of the notch filter 154 that the vapor capillary andthe measuring spot of the optical measuring beam 126 are clearlyrecognizable on the captured image and are not masked by the light ofthe laser beam 148.

Typical machining lasers emit in a narrow band in the wavelength rangefrom 1030 nm to 1070 nm, for example at 1030 nm, 1064 nm or 1070 nm.Further emission wavelengths are possible. The notch filter shouldtherefore be designed or optimized in such a way that the wavelength orthe wavelength range of the light from the laser beam 148 is filteredout and not transmitted to the image acquisition unit 152.

On the other hand, the wavelength or the wavelength range of the opticalmeasuring beam 126 should be chosen such that it is not filtered orblocked by the notch filter 154. Accordingly, the wavelength or thewavelength range of the optical measuring beam 126 is preferablydifferent from the wavelength or the wavelength range of the light ofthe laser beam 148. The notch filter 154 may also be designed to betransparent not only for the wavelength range of the measuring beam 126,but also for the visible spectral range or the infrared range, so thatthe image acquisition unit 152 can capture the vapor capillary based onthe thermal radiation in the infrared range or based on visible light.As an alternative to the notch filter 154, the image acquisition unit152 may also be configured such that it is not sensitive to thewavelength range of the laser beam 148.

In order for the point of incidence of the optical measuring beam 126 tobe visible in the image, the intensity of the measuring spot on theworkpiece must be high enough to be captured by the image acquisitionunit 152. In particular, when the measuring beam is directed into theopening of the vapor capillary, the proportion that is reflected orscattered back into the image acquisition unit 152 or into the camera isconsiderably reduced. Then there is only scattering or reflection on theside walls of the vapor capillary or on particles which are located inthe region of the opening of the vapor capillary. If the laser deviceand the optical coherence tomograph emit at similar wavelengths (e.g.,OCT at 1030 nm and laser at 1070 nm), the requirements for the notchfilter increase considerably since the notch filter has to fullysuppress the laser by several orders of magnitude, but has to transmitthe wavelength of the OCT completely.

If the optical coherence tomograph is operated with commerciallyavailable superluminescent diodes (SLD), there are usually a few tens ora few hundred milliwatt of light power available. Compared to severalkilowatt of light power for the machining laser, the power of the SLD isvery low.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an image 400 as can be captured or generatedby the image acquisition unit according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

The image 400 may be captured or generated as a digital image or photo.The image may have a plurality of pixels.

The image 400 is a top view of a region or portion of a workpiece 10machined by a laser machining system according to embodiments of thepresent invention. The image 400 is captured during a laser machiningprocess performed by the laser machining system according to embodimentsof the present invention. In FIG. 4, the machining direction 80 of thelaser machining process is indicated by an arrow.

The image 400 shows the region or portion of the workpiece 10 containingthe vapor capillary 12, the melt pool 14 surrounding the vapor capillary12, and the seam upper bead 15 following the melt pool 14, in plan view,i.e. from the perspective of the image acquisition unit 152.

In addition, the image 400 contains the measuring spot 18 created whenthe optical measuring beam 126 hits a surface. As can be seen in FIG. 4,the measuring spot 18 has a round shape. The measuring spot 18 may alsohave an oval or circular shape, depending on the angle of incidence onthe surface. Since the deepest point of the vapor capillary 12 islocated at the rear edge thereof in the machining direction (see FIG.1), the optical measuring beam 126 must accordingly be directed to thispoint in order to be able to correctly determine the depth of the vaporcapillary. The optical measuring device may include a control configuredto control the alignment of the optical measuring beam 126 with thedeepest point of the vapor capillary 12 based on the data acquired bythe image acquisition unit 152.

The laser machining system or the image acquisition unit itself may beconfigured to perform image evaluation almost in real time in order todetermine the position of the vapor capillary 12 on the workpiece andthe position of the measuring spot 18 in the image captured by the imageacquisition unit. For example, the geometric center of the measuringspot and/or the geometric center of the vapor capillary may bedetermined in the image evaluation. Thus, the position of the measuringspot relative to the position of the vapor capillary, preferablyrelative to the deepest point of the vapor capillary, may be determined.In addition to measuring the depth of the vapor capillary, also avicinity of the vapor capillary 12 may be recorded and, for example, aso-called topography measurement may be carried out. Thereby, a seam maybe found immediately before the welding process or the quality of theseam upper bead 15 may be measured immediately after the weldingprocess. In addition, a geometry of the vapor capillary and/or the meltpool may be determined. For example, a contour of the melt pool may berecognized. Furthermore, melted regions and/or solidified regions of theworkpiece may be recognized or differentiated. This may be achieved bymeans of suitable image processing methods such as filtering, textureanalysis, evaluation of the shape of the melt pool, etc.

Furthermore, the laser machining system or the optical measuring devicemay be configured to control a position of the measuring beam 126 basedon the determination of the position of the measuring spot or themeasuring beam and the position of the vapor capillary such that it isalways correctly oriented or positioned for the measurement of thewelding depth. In particular, the position of the measuring beamrelative to the position of the vapor capillary and/or the position ofthe laser beam may be controlled. The position of the measuring beam maybe adjusted, for example, by beam deflection units such as mirrors,galvanoscanners, or the collimator optics described above. In addition,the focus position and/or orientation of the optical measuring beam maybe controlled. In particular, the measuring beam may be controlled inreal time.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show laser machining systems 200 and 200′ according tofurther embodiments of the present invention.

The laser machining system 200 corresponds to the laser machining system100 described above with reference to FIG. 3, but has a lighting unit256 for illuminating the machining region, i.e., the region of theworkpiece surface 16 containing the vapor capillary 12 (and optionallythe melt pool 14) and the measuring spot 18. If the visible spectralrange is captured by the image acquisition unit 152, an illumination ofthe machining zone by a lighting unit 256 may be needed. The imageacquisition unit 152 of the laser machining system 200 is thenpreferably configured to detect light of the visible spectral range. Theillumination may be coaxial through the machining head 122, as shown inFIG. 5A. Alternatively, the lighting unit may be arranged laterally,that is to say externally, on the machining head, as shown in FIG. 5B.

The lighting unit 256 may be arranged on the laser machining head 122 orintegrated into the machining head 122. The lighting unit 256 isprovided to improve an image of the region of the workpiece surface 16with the vapor capillary and the point of incidence of the measuringbeam (the measuring spot 18) by the image acquisition unit 152. Thelighting unit 256 is preferably configured to emit visible light andthus to illuminate the region captured by the image acquisition unit152. Since the vapor capillary 12 and the melt pool 14, in particular,only emit a small amount of light in the visible spectral range, theillumination by the lighting unit 256 may increase their recognizabilityon the image captured by the image acquisition unit 152. Alternatively,the lighting could also emit in the infrared spectral range, inparticular when using an infrared camera.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the machining head 122 may comprise alighting module 260 integrated into the machining head 122 or mounted onthe machining head 122. The light emitted by the lighting unit 256 maybe coupled into the beam path of the laser beam 148 and/or the opticalmeasuring beam 126 and/or the image acquisition unit 152. Furthermore,the lighting module 260 may comprise a collimation optics 258 forcollimating the light emitted by the lighting unit 256 into the beampath.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B, on the other hand,the lighting unit 256 is arranged on the laser machining head 200 suchthat the light emitted thereby hits the machining region, in particularthe region of the workpiece containing the vapor capillary and/or themelt pool. In other words, the course of the light emitted by thelighting unit 256 is outside the beam path of the measuring beam 126 andthe laser beam 148, that is to say not through the machining head 122.

FIG. 6 shows a laser machining system 300 according to a secondembodiment of the invention.

The laser machining system 300 corresponds to the laser machining system100 described above with reference to FIG. 3, but has a visualizationunit 370 for visualizing the optical measuring beam 126 or the measuringspot 18. The visualization unit 370 may include a light source 372configured to generate a visualization beam (also called “visualizationlight beam”). Due to the limited light output of light sources for theoptical measuring beam 126, for example conventional SLDs, thevisualization unit 370 may be provided with the light source 372 inorder to make the position of the optical measuring beam 126 visible inthe image.

Light from the visualization unit 370 is preferably coupled into thebeam path of the optical measuring beam 126. The coupling is preferablycarried out by means of a beam splitter, for example the fiber coupler138, configured to couple the visualization beam into the optical fiber142 of the measuring arm of the optical measuring device 128.Accordingly, a visualization spot generated by projection of thevisualization beam onto the workpiece 10 is superimposed on themeasuring spot 18, and may in particular be concentric with themeasuring spot 18.

Because the light generated by the visualization unit 370 is alreadycoupled into an optical fiber of the optical coherence tomograph, thevisualization spot is imaged onto the same lateral position on theworkpiece 10 as the measuring beam 126 by the optical imaging in themachining head 122. In contrast to a coupling or superimposition in themachining head 122 by means of a beam splitter in the machining head122, there is no lateral offset due to adjustment errors or otherinaccuracies in case of coupling into the optical fiber of the opticalcoherence tomograph. If the optical coherence tomograph and theilluminating light source have different wavelengths, there may be anaxial displacement of the two focus positions. However, there is nolateral shift of the focus points when the two beams are coaxial.Accordingly, the measuring spot and the visualization spot areconcentric.

Since no further requirements are placed on the light source 372 of thevisualization unit 370, a light source 372 with the highest possiblelight power may be selected. Furthermore, the wavelength or thewavelength range of the light generated by the light source 372 may beadapted to the spectral sensitivity range of the image acquisition unit152. In the case of optical coherence tomographs using optical measuringbeams with a wavelength close to the wavelength of the laser light, thewavelength of the light source 372 may be chosen such that it issufficiently far spectrally from the wavelength of the laser light.Thus, the notch filter 154 may be optimized such that it maximallysuppresses light of the laser beam 148 while being maximally transparentwith respect to a wavelength of the light source 372.

Thus, the visualization beam serves to visualize the point of incidenceof the optical measuring beam 126 and makes the point of incidence ofthe measuring beam, or the measuring spot 18, more visible in the cameraimage. This is because the visualization spot is concentric with themeasuring spot and clearly brighter than the measuring spot and istherefore more easily detectable by the image acquisition unit 152.

It is advantageous to choose the wavelength of the light emitted by thelight source 372 to be shorter than the wavelength of the opticalcoherence tomograph or the optical measuring beam 126. Typically, it isnecessary for the optical coherence tomograph to use so-called monomodefibers. These fibers have a core diameter that corresponds toapproximately one tenth of the wavelength that is to be transmittedthereby. As a result, only the transverse fundamental mode “TEM00” canpropagate in the waveguide. The so-called “cut-off wavelength” of anoptical fiber indicates the wavelength up to which only the TEM00 modecan propagate. If shorter-wave light is coupled in, higher transversemodes may also be formed and this is referred to as a so-calledmultimode fiber. For the wavelength of the light generated by the lightsource 372, this means that with sufficient mixing of the modes in theoptical fiber, the exit diameter is larger than in the case of amonomode fiber. However, the center of the light distribution remainsthe same, which is the reason why the center and thus the lateralposition of the point of incidence of the measuring beam can still bedetected. If, on the other hand, the wavelength of the light source 372is chosen to be longer than the wavelength of the optical coherencetomograph, enormous losses occur during coupling into the optical fiber,thereby cancelling the effect of a powerful light source 372.

FIG. 7 shows a method for machining a workpiece by means of a laser beamaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The method may be performedby a laser machining system according to the embodiments describedherein and has the following steps.

In step 710, a laser beam 148 is directed onto a workpiece surface 16 tocreate a vapor capillary. Subsequently or simultaneously, an opticalmeasuring beam 126 is directed onto the workpiece 10 in step 720 inorder to measure a depth of the vapor capillary 12. In step 730, animage of a region of the workpiece surface 16 containing the vaporcapillary 12 and a measuring spot 18 generated by irradiation with theoptical measurement beam 126 is captured. Based on the captured image, aposition of the measuring spot 18 and a position of the vapor capillary12 on the workpiece 10, more precisely on the workpiece surface 16, aredetermined in step 740. Steps 710, 720, 730 and 740 may be carried outessentially simultaneously so that a relative orientation of themeasuring spot 18 with respect to the vapor capillary 12 can bedetermined and/or adjusted essentially in real time.

The step of determining 740 may comprise evaluating the captured image.Among other things, geometric properties of the vapor capillary 12and/or the measuring spot 18 may be recognized or detected during theevaluation. The evaluation may further comprise determining a center ofthe vapor capillary 12 and a center of the measuring spot 18. Thecenters may be centers with respect to area. The method may furthercomprise a step (not shown) of controlling or adjusting the position ofthe measuring spot 18. In particular, the position of the measuring spot18 with respect to the vapor capillary 12 may be adjusted such that amaximum depth of the vapor capillary 12 can be measured or is measuredwith the optical measurement beam 126.

According to the invention, a point of incidence of the opticalmeasuring beam, i.e., the position of the measuring spot and theposition of the vapor capillary or the vapor capillary 12 are determinedsimultaneously so as to assign a depth measured by means of the opticalmeasurement beam to a specific point on the vapor capillary. Inparticular, the position of the measuring spot relative to the vaporcapillary may be set such that a maximum depth of the vapor capillarycan be determined. In other words, the measuring beam may be directed toa point of the vapor capillary with maximum depth. This point isgenerally at the rear edge of the vapor capillary in the machiningdirection. The position of the measuring spot and the vapor capillarymay be determined almost in real time and thus allow a continuous andreliable depth measurement of the vapor capillary. This allows for aprocessing quality to be increased, in particular in laser welding.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A laser machining system, in particular alaser welding system, for machining a workpiece by means of a laserbeam, said laser machining system comprising: a laser machining head fordirecting a laser beam onto a workpiece to produce a vapor capillary; anoptical measuring device for measuring a depth of said vapor capillaryby an optical measuring beam; and an image acquisition unit configuredto capture an image of a region of said workpiece containing said vaporcapillary and a measuring spot produced by said optical measuring beamon said workpiece, wherein said laser machining system is configured todetermine a position of said measuring spot and a position of said vaporcapillary based on the captured image.
 2. The laser machining systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting device configuredto adjust the position of said measuring spot relative to the positionof said vapor capillary in order to determine a maximum depth of saidvapor capillary.
 3. The laser machining system according to claim 1,wherein said optical measuring device comprises an optical coherencetomograph.
 4. The laser machining system according to claim 1, whereinsaid image acquisition unit comprises a notch filter configured to blocka wavelength range of said laser beam.
 5. The laser machining systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said image acquisition unit has a spectralsensitivity in the wavelength range of a thermal radiation emitted bysaid vapor capillary and/or in the wavelength range of said opticalmeasuring beam.
 6. The laser machining system according to claim 1,wherein said image acquisition unit comprises at least one of a camera,a CCD camera, a video camera, a CMOS camera, and an infrared camera. 7.The laser machining system according to claim 1, wherein said imageacquisition unit is arranged coaxially on said laser machining head. 8.The laser machining system according to claim 1, wherein optical axes ofsaid image acquisition unit and said measuring beam extend at leastpartially in parallel and/or coaxially.
 9. The laser machining systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising a lighting unit forilluminating the captured region of said workpiece by means of visiblelight and/or infrared light.
 10. The laser machining system according toclaim 9, wherein said lighting unit is arranged such that light fromsaid lighting unit is directed onto said workpiece outside said lasermachining head.
 11. The laser machining system according to claim 9,wherein said lighting unit is configured to couple light into the beampath of said laser beam and/or said optical measuring beam and/or saidimage acquisition unit.
 12. The laser machining system according toclaim 1, further comprising: a visualization unit configured to couple avisualization beam for visualizing said measuring spot into the beampath of said measuring beam, wherein a visualization spot generated bythe visualization beam is concentric with said measuring spot.
 13. Thelaser machining system according to claim 12, wherein said visualizationunit is configured to couple the visualization beam into an opticalfiber of said optical measuring device in which said optical measuringbeam is guided.
 14. The laser machining system according to claim 1,further comprising a computing unit configured to control the positionof said measuring spot relative to the position of said vapor capillaryin real time in order to continuously determine a maximum depth of saidvapor capillary.
 15. A method for controlling a laser machining system,in particular a laser welding system, the method comprising the stepsof: directing a laser beam onto a workpiece and producing a vaporcapillary using a laser machining head; directing an optical measuringbeam from an optical measuring device onto said workpiece in order tomeasure a depth of said vapor capillary; capturing an image of a regionof said workpiece containing said vapor capillary and a measuring spotgenerated by said optical measuring beam using an image acquisitionunit; and determining, based on the captured image, a position of saidmeasuring spot and a position of said vapor capillary.